by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

by Jeff Gluck, USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday, Danica Patrick will become the first woman in Martinsville Speedway's 64-year history to drive on the half-mile in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

"Well, between that and never having a Martinsville hot dog, I guess there is probably going to be lots of firsts there (this) weekend," she said.

Wait a second. Is the health-conscious Patrick really going to sample one of Martinsville's famous pink Jesse Jones hot dogs?

"I will at least have half of a hot dog," she said. "I'm a half person. I have half of a cookie, half of a brownie, half of a hot dog."

But when she arrives at the track Friday, hot dogs and history might be the furthest thing from her mind. Patrick faces her most difficult challenge of the season this weekend: Trying to get up to speed on a track known for making rookies look foolish.

Adapting to a full-time Cup schedule has been a struggle for Patrick so far. Since finishing eighth in the Daytona 500, she hasn't had a result in the top 25.

Martinsville, where close quarters and short tempers are the name of the game, figures to make her life miserable. Though team owner Tony Stewart selected 10 difficult races for Patrick last season, Martinsville was cut due to a scheduling conflict.

"As an owner, I'm going to be very nervous," Stewart said. "As a driver, I'm going to be laughing a lot, because I remember my first time here."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said during his first several races at Martinsville, "I ran into everything."

"I ran into other race cars, walls, pace cars," he said. "Just about everything that could be ran into, I found it."

That included an ambulance, which was blocking Earnhardt's way. He "had to give him a bit of the bumper," Earnhardt said.

"Those first few trips were a real eye opener," he said. "The racing there is nothing what you imagine, even coming up through those style of racetracks. It's just really tough and hard racing, and you've got to pick your battles.

"But it's a long race and you can really just take yourself out of it early if you're not careful."

One of Patrick's greatest challenges may be staying calm. She's shown a tendency to bristle when other drivers bump her, and that's standard at Martinsville.

"The hard part will be pulling the reins back," Stewart said. "Somebody will bump into her and she'll want to knock them through the fence. It'll be like, 'Wait a minute, it was probably just an accident!' "

Patrick, though, is maintaining a positive attitude for now.

"I am actually really excited about Martinsville," she said. "I like the little short tracks. They are fun."